Social media

One of the big goals of a TEDx event is to spark conversation – and this shouldn’t be exclusive to your live event! Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are vibrant online forums for your guests and others to discuss the topics and ideas you’ll be sharing before, during, and after your event. Plus, it’s one of the most effective ways to share your event with the world.

Create a Facebook page

Creating a Facebook page is a great way to promote your event. Why? Not only is the social network the largest in the world, but it’s a conversation-focused, community-driven platform. And, as you know, TEDx is all about conversation and community.

Here are some ways to engage the online community on Facebook:

Invite your friends and guests

Invite your friends and TEDx event guests to "like" your Facebook page. When they “like” your page, all of their friends will get notification of your page on their feed.

Announce speakers as you confirm them

Once you book a speaker, let your Facebook fans know! Give them teasers on your speakers’ talk, and make sure to “tag” any speakers who may have their own Facebook page.

Post photos

Facebook users love visuals. Make sure to post pictures of the venue, speakers, and other photos relevant to your event or theme. After your event, post your photos on the page for everyone to see and share.

Highlight other TEDx events

Giving kudos to other TEDx events is a great way to engage others in the TEDx community, and encourage other TEDx events spread the word about your event. There’s a reason why they call it social “networking”! You can find more about what happened at other TEDx events around the world on our TEDx Facebook page.

Post TED + TEDx Talks videos

Post TED Talks (and TEDx Talks!) videos that you enjoy and think are related to your event theme, or simply to that week’s news. But remember: don’t share the videos you’ll be showing on the big event day – you wouldn’t want to give away too much too soon!

Engage your fans with questions

Engage your community with questions. Ask fans to share their favorite TED Talks, or what “big idea” they’ve thought of that week. Be creative!

Share blog posts

If you have a blog (which we’ll talk about next), post all of your blog posts on your Facebook page. Spark conversation by asking a question related to the post.

Also don’t forget to promote your Facebook page outside of Facebook – add a Facebook “like” box or another sharing widget to your website, and include your Facebook page URL in all of your email updates.

Create a Twitter account

Twitter has become one of the internet's most powerful social media platforms. You can keep your attendees in the loop – and find new followers – with short, timely updates.

Here are some great ways you can engage on Twitter:

Use your event logo

Brand your Twitter handle by making your TEDx logo your official Twitter photo; that way, every time your tweet shows up in someone’s feed, the logo will be front and center. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to try to fit the x=... tagline into your Twitter logo.)

Tweet all event updates

Use your Twitter account to post about event changes, speaker announcements, logistics, and other exciting updates about the event.

Engage with others

Start conversations with other people on Twitter. This especially applies to your guests and other TEDsters and TEDx’ers. Make lists of local influencers and your event’s speakers.

Create and use hashtags

Hashtags are a terrific way to bring attention to your Twitter handle. Create a hashtag for your event, and use already existing hashtags to your tweets (e.g., #TEDx).

Live tweet the event

A great way to give the online community a taste of your event is to live tweet it in real time. This especially applies to TEDx events with a livestream, so that viewers can also live tweet as they’re watching. Remember to use your event's hashtag so others can follow the conversation.

Also don’t forget to promote your Twitter account outside of Twitter – add a Twitter widget to your website, and include your Twitter handle in all of your email updates.

Other social media sites

Facebook and Twitter are just two great social media sites you can use for your event; there are a wide range of tools to tap into. Here are a few others to check out:

Instagram

Use your TEDx event name as your handle (e.g., @TEDx[name]) and post live updates leading up to the event.

Tumblr

Create a Tumblr blog that features stunning quotes from live speakers and your TED Talks videos, or cross-post updates from your blog so that the larger online community can learn more. (We’ve even created a special theme just for TEDx’ers!)